A Self-Driving Tesla Should Have A Huge Warning Sign On Its Roof

Just as with “student driver” signs, pedestrians should know when an AI is at the wheel

When you’re a student driver, you’re a little dangerous behind the wheel. You don’t quite know how to control the vehicle.

Society has a vested interest in helping you learn to drive. So that means letting you take the wheel on city streets.

Risky, but over the years, US states have figured out some reasonable compromises. In places like New York State, driving schools have to outfit their cars with a dual-control brake, so the instructor can stop the car. And — crucially — the cars must sport a “student driver” sign, so everyone who sees it knows: Hey, be careful around that driver. They don’t know what they’re doing yet.

These days, we have a new type of student driver on the road: Tesla cars that are being piloted by AI, using Tesla’s so-called “Full Self Driving” mode. It’s beta software that’s still full of kinks, so the cars occasionally make some pretty dangerous moves.